Electrical Estimating

[dduffee260]

So could I. But why would you when he's trying to come to a site like this, get someone to bite on an estimate, so he can beat up his EC that's on his job?
Most GC's have a stable of EC's they use regularly. If I was on a job and priced a change order, and the GC went to one of his regulars (my competitor) to check my price, I would get a phone call from my competitor telling me he just got a call wanting this info. My competitor would protect me by doubling what I quoted.
That's why he's coming to a site like this for that info.

So if he asked me for a price I would give him an actual competitive price. This is one thing wrong with our industry. The young contractors are not lowballing prices on purpose. They genuinely do not know what a competitive price would be. If this is a GC then that is even better. Instead of thinking that something could be done cheaper and bid that way he would really know what a true price should be.

Now talking an EC into taking a lower price is no different than getting a car salesman to buy his car at his price. When young EC's get beat down it hurts our industry. In any industry there is always a current market price for anything. The sooner everyone knows what the general area is the sooner the industry will improve from being able to perform a project that has the finances in place that it needs.

 

[Daja7]

The electrical contractor is quoting 37 hours to install the 2 1/2" conduit, and 30 hours to install (3) 600 ft runs of #3/0 thhn, and 7 hours to install (1) #2 thhn.

I am a CA C-10 contractor (inactive) with no access to estimating programs. That is why I am asking for help.

These are man hours, I think this is extremely reasonable. in fact to low in my book. I would price 120 MH as another responder stated. these materials are not cheap and there is overhead and of course that dreaded profit that people think we are not allowed to make.
just my final 2 cents

 

[petersonra]

3 men for a week does not seem real far out of line to me.

It does seem a little high to me, but it is really hard to guess at what something like this will cost not knowing all the facts.

You can easily spend an hour a day walking to and from the front gate to the job site some places.

Some places I have been you can easily spend a half hour a day on mandatory safety meetings per person.

Those kind of things add up, especially with multiple men on the job.

I have been places where they banned golf carts and other utility vehicles for various reasons and then gripped that moving materials around by hand ended up costing too much.

 

[cdslotz]

So if he asked me for a price I would give him an actual competitive price. This is one thing wrong with our industry. The young contractors are not lowballing prices on purpose. They genuinely do not know what a competitive price would be. If this is a GC then that is even better. Instead of thinking that something could be done cheaper and bid that way he would really know what a true price should be.

Now talking an EC into taking a lower price is no different than getting a car salesman to buy his car at his price. When young EC's get beat down it hurts our industry. In any industry there is always a current market price for anything. The sooner everyone knows what the general area is the sooner the industry will improve from being able to perform a project that has the finances in place that it needs.

This is a change order. If I was that EC I would have shown my trade standard, published labor units and show what column was used based on the work height.
There is no negotiating these units. I never argue labor units. Labor units are not exact or perfect and I run the risk that they are. NOT A GC!!

BTW...I think 120 hrs is too low at that work height. Are there no pull boxes in that 420' run?

 

[Judd Brodie]

Electrical estimating

Electrical estimating

Guys,

Thank you.
I feel more confident with the estimate now.
Glad to see so many of you responded with a positive attitude.

Judd

 

[growler]

I have an excessively high bid.

Judd

The electrical contractor is quoting 37 hours to install the 2 1/2" conduit, and 30 hours to install (3) 600 ft runs of #3/0 thhn, and 7 hours to install (1) #2 thhn.

37 man hours total to do 4 pulls of 600 FT.

Even if the materials and equipment needed are already on the job site it takes time to set up for a pull like this ( those wire spools are rather heavy ) and the tugger set up and even getting a rope in the conduit.

For pulls like this you would normally use about 5 guys because that's what it takes ( one on the tugger and 3 to spool off the cable and a nice big fellow to feed it). With a very minimal crew of 5 guys that adds up to only one 8 hour day to get everything set up 4 times and do 4 pulls and then store away all tools, materials and equipment.

Those guys will earn their money that day. If everything goes right it works out fine but just one thing goes wrong and this will be a loser.

Did the same company run the conduit that's going to be pulling the cable? I always feel better if I was in charge of running the conduit.

 

[lakeview100]

Feeder Run

Feeder Run

Guys,

Thank you.
I feel more confident with the estimate now.
Glad to see so many of you responded with a positive attitude.

Judd

Judd,

My estimate:

3 men 5 days regular time : 120 man hours
lift rental : 2 lifts 1 week : $500
cable tugger rental : $600
materials as specified